After Wild UFC 279, Some Potential Next Moves for Khamzat Chimaev
The joyful rage with which Khamzat Chimaev dismantled Kevin Holland on Saturday at UFC 279 was truly a sight to behold.
The excitable Chimaev, who scuttled his main event with Nate Diaz after missing weight by more than seven pounds, controlled the co-main event from pillar to post, overwhelming a proven veteran with a first-round D'Arce choke submission. It was like watching a giant baby throw his toys around the room without realizing they were full-grown adults.
If that doesn't paint enough of a picture, consider the UFC statistics. In two minutes and 13 seconds of action, Holland failed to attempt, much less land, a single strike. That will happen when you spend all your time desperately trying to scramble out of a relentless barrage of submission attempts. Chimaev was in control for 1:56 of the contest, so all but 17 seconds. That's pretty stark.
Still, you have to see Chimaev to believe him—the way he sprints toward his opponent and upends him, dumping him on the mat so quickly and so forcefully and laying on punishment and working for submissions so rapidly and methodically that the opponent shuts down. The win put the 28-year-old Chechen-Swede at 12-0 overall and 6-0 in the UFC. The only UFC opponent to go the distance with Chimaev was Gilbert Burns earlier this year in that memorable Fight of the Night performance. Four opponents didn't make it past the first round.
Interestingly, that big weight miss might have opened the door to new competitive possibilities for Chimaev. The natural welterweight just competed at a 180-pound catchweight and destroyed a longtime middleweight in Holland. Chimaev has long had designs on being a dual champion, and this bit of serendipity could add fuel to the fire. Though he clarified after the fight that he would return to welterweight, where he is No. 3 in the official rankings, Chimaev reiterated his desire to make a run at 185 pounds, which seems closer to reality than ever.
"I'm going for both weight classes," Chimaev told broadcaster Joe Rogan after the fight, per MMA Fighting. "We'll go for both belts."
With possibilities in both weight classes and more momentum than perhaps any other fighter on the UFC roster, Chimaev is in a good position to call his shots. Here's a look at three possibilities that could work for his next engagement.
Colby Covington
Covington has the wrestling and the gas tank to push Chimaev into the later rounds, where his white-hot fury tends to wane. He's also not above a brawl and could sucker the hyper-eager Chimaev into a mistake. It would also be interesting to see Chimaev attempt (or not attempt) to ply his wrestling pressure against a true wrestling standout in Covington.
Perhaps just as importantly, this is a bout between two polarizing figures. Covington is a full-throated supporter of MAGA nation, while Chimaev is prone to volatility (see: UFC 279 press conference, canceled after Chimaev helped instigate a backstage melee) and is a close friend and associate of oppressive Chechen politician, Vladimir Putin ally and MMA fan Ramzan Kadyrov. These aren't the kinds of things you'll see in a UFC promo, but a little heel-on-heel violence is always intriguing.
The problem: Covington doesn't have a ton of incentive to take this fight. Chimaev is younger and more explosive, and he would likely be installed as the favorite. Covington appears much more interested in catchweight showcases with bigger names, such as Dustin Poirier and middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Neither of those seems particularly likely, but it gives you a sense of Covington's personal matchmaking head space. From that perspective, the more dangerous, less famous option probably doesn't get fast-tracked to the front of the queue.
Still, I'd love to see it, as would most of the MMA community.
Gilbert Burns
Two words: re. match. As previously mentioned, Burns is the only fighter to give Chimaev a run for his money.
Chimaev took a 29-28 scorecard from all three judges but earned it after a Fight of the Year candidate with Burns. Between them, they landed 227 significant strikes (119-108 in Burns' favor), and Chimaev hit two of three takedowns and racked up more than two minutes of control time—no mean feat against a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Burns. Still, Burns twice briefly dropped Chimaev in the second round and bloodied his nose in easily the most damage Chimaev had taken in the UFC. The fight ended with an incredibly close round that saw both fighters exhausted and fighting to the bottom of their gas tanks.
Burns has frequently called for a rematch, so if nothing else, you have a willing opponent—a positive quality in and of itself when you're talking about Chimaev. One wrinkle: Burns apparently has agreed in principle to a bout with Jorge Masvidal, so his dance card may be full for the foreseeable future. But this one will always be on the table as an intriguing run-back.
Paulo Costa
Holland was a middleweight for six years and was planning to fight Daniel Rodriguez at 180-pound catchweight even before he was slotted in against Chimaev. But he returned to welterweight earlier this year, again making it his default home.
In other words, even on his biggest days, no one is characterizing Kevin Holland as a big middleweight. If Chimaev really wants to test his mettle in the 185-pound division, he should jump into that with both feet. That means facing down the incredible hulk that is Paulo Costa.
It's a winnable fight for Chimaev, but Costa's size alone offers distinct challenges to his wrestling and overall approach. Chimaev will not be able to rag-doll Costa the way he did Holland.
But don't take it from me. Take it from Costa himself.
"I know [Chimaev] just want to fight small guys, short guys, shy guys like Burns," Costa told The Mac Life (h/t MMA Junkie). "Guys who you can beat and be a bully, but I'm not. I'm a big one, I'm the biggest middleweight in the UFC, so you cannot bully me. When you show up, I will be here, ready for you because you are a 'Gourmet Chechen,' you are a fake gangster, so that's it."
I know I'd tune in for this.
Winner of Rematch Between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards
There's no question that, barring some misfortune, Usman-Edwards 3 will take place in the foreseeable future, likely at the end of this year or early next. UFC brass is pulling out all the stops to schedule a show in Edwards' native England.
It's fitting for a guy who just pulled out one of the greatest come-from-behind wins in UFC history, knocking out champ Kamaru Usman in the fifth and final round to take the welterweight title.
These guys have unfinished business. But no matter who wins, who else but Chimaev would receive the title shot? Covington, the only fighter outside of Edwards and Usman to sit higher than Chimaev on the rankings, would surely try to talk his way into a date with Edwards. But with all the talent and heat around Chimaev? It's not a hard call.
It would mean Chimaev has to sit on the shelf for a while—especially if Covington ducks him, and that would be another reason they wouldn't give Covington a title shot over Chimaev—and that may not be palatable. It's also no fun for fans to have such an electric talent healthy but on the bench for an extended period of time.
That's why, to me, Covington-Chimaev is the match to make. There would be plenty of ill will in the lead-up to the showdown, and it would pit two great wrestlers, both with proven experience under the bright lights, against each other. And then in the winner, you'd have your clear-cut, surefire challenger for the next belt. (In this instance, they might even give Covington one last shot at Usman, given that the previous two bouts were close.)
But it's anyone's guess, and the dust is still settling from a wild weekend in Las Vegas. Wherever Chimaev ends up next, he'll be appointment viewing for anyone who wants to witness next-level MMA—and, quite likely, a future champion.
